


The Good Life

by PhantomFlutist



Series: "The Road" and other unbelievable things [3]
Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-26 05:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2639390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomFlutist/pseuds/PhantomFlutist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kim Ryeowook is a third year nursing student with a stalker. Kim Jongwoon (a.k.a. Yesung) is a graduate student with a list of eccentricities a mile long, and he also happens to be in love with Ryeowook. While they have nothing in common, something seems to be drawing them together. And maybe Yesung can repair the parts of Ryeowook that were broken two years ago?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Good Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first YeWook prequel to "The Road." The fluffy start of their relationship. I hope you enjoy!

 

“He keeps staring at me, Kyu.” Ryeowook wrapped his arms around his bent knees, curling his toes inside his socks.

“Who does?” Kyuhyun asked, looking up curiously from the textbook he was studying and glancing around them.

“The creepy guy. Do you think he's stalking me?” Ryeowook didn't bother glancing behind him again. He knew what he would see—the man with the scruffy dark hair, who always wore either brightly-colored plastic-framed glasses or too much eyeliner. He had an intense gaze, and it was almost always trained on Ryeowook.

Kyuhyun shook his head, turning back to his book and dismissing his friend's worries. “He's a weirdo, everyone says so. Just ignore him, he'll go away eventually.”

“He's been watching me for a week. Do you really think he's just going to go away?” Ryeowook shuddered, remembering all the times he'd felt eyes on his back and had turned around to see the same guy staring at him. Kim Jongwoon: a graduate student majoring in vocal music education. Everyone knew who he was and generally avoided him. He wasn't normal, they said, and if you got too close he would molest you. Ryeowook doubted that was true, as he probably would have been kicked out of school if it were, but that didn't keep him from worrying.

“Maybe he likes you, and is trying to get up the courage to ask you out,” Kyuhyun suggested, now scribbling illegibly in a notebook. He was a math major, and Ryeowook could rarely make heads or tails of his studies.

“Kyuhyun!” Ryeowook cried in embarrassment, hitting the younger man on the shoulder and then covering his blushing face with his hands.  
“What?” Kyuhyun laughed, looking up with a smirk and eyes that twinkled with teasing. “You're cute. If I swung that way he'd have some competition.”

Ryeowook blushed further and huffed, hitting Kyuhyun once more (rather half-heartedly) and then collapsing against the tree behind him, his arms crossed petulantly. “See if I cook for you anytime soon,” he griped, though he knew that Kyuhyun would coerce his way into getting home-cooked meals again that night anyway. That's what he got for being roommates with his childhood friend.

“Don't look now,” Kyuhyun murmured, barely glancing up as he changed the subject, “But creepy guy is coming this way.”

Ryeowook turned anyway, his gaze meeting a pair of knees and traveling up the body to which they belonged to land on a round face holding a smile that crinkled the corners of the eyes beneath a pair of red glasses.

Ryeowook could only watch as Jongwoon rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and opened his mouth as if to say something several times, always closing it again suddenly before the words could get out. Finally he seemed to settle for, “Hi! I'm Yesung. Well, my real name is Jongwoon, but no one calls me that, except for professors, and you're not a professor, so it would be weird if you called me Jongwoon. Unless you would rather call me that...it's your call, I guess, though it would be great if you would call me Yesung because I think you're really cute and I would really like to be your friend...or more, but I don't even know if you're gay, so that's awkward, and--”

“Um...,” Ryeowook interrupted, trying to come up with a response to that. “Hello. I'm Ryeowook.” He stood up and held out his hand to be shaken before really thinking about it.

Jongwoon (Yesung?) took it immediately and shook it firmly, and then his other hand came out and—Ryeowook tried to back away, but Yesung still had his hand—touched his philtrum...? It was stroked for several long, uncomfortable moments, and then Yesung was releasing him, the smile on his face growing. “It's very nice to meet you, Ryeowook-ssi,” he said, bowing politely.

Ryeowook could only stand in shock as Yesung turned to introduce himself to Kyuhyun, as well. When pleasantries had been exchanged, Yesung bade them a polite goodbye and was gone. It was only afterward that Ryeowook finally unfroze. “Kyuhyun,” he asked weakly, “What just happened?”

Kyuhyun only laughed at him.

\---

“Don't forget, we have a practical exam on Friday, and it's worth 10% of your grade. Everyone should practice before then. Dismissed.”  
Ryeowook hurried to gather his things and get out of the classroom. He had to get home and feed Kyuhyun before he starved to death. Between the big project Kyuhyun was working on and the Starcraft something-or-other coming up that weekend Ryeowook knew the younger man was neglecting his own well-being in favor of what he judged as “more important” tasks...again.

Thus it was that Ryeowook was not paying attention to where he was going, and ended up running headlong into someone and tossing them both to the floor. “I am so sorry. I should have looked where I was going, and....” He trailed off when he realized exactly who he was sprawled on top of and blushed furiously to the roots of his hair. “Sorry,” he muttered, scrambling away and attempting to gather his things without looking at the older man.

He didn't quite manage to miss the indulgent smile Yesung gave him, and he certainly didn't miss the twinkle in the other man's heavily-lined eye as he started helping him to pick up all his books. Yesung examined the cover of one book with interest as he handed them back. “Nursing student, huh?” he asked casually. “Didn't peg you for the type.”

“What type?” Ryeowook snapped, and was immediately astonished at himself. He never spoke that way to anyone, let alone people he'd barely met.

Yesung held his hands up defensively. “Didn't mean anything by it. I just figured you would be in music or theater.”

Ryeowook stared at him for a moment, wondering where the older man could possibly have gotten that idea, and then started walking away.  
“What? Sorry, didn't realize you'd take offense at that. Fine, you don't look like a music major, you're way too cute for that. Happy?” Yesung hurried after him, talking a mile a minute.

A sigh as Ryeowook wondered what this man and his strange quirks wanted with a lowly nursing student like him. “I'm sorry,” he murmured, back to his polite, quiet self, “I'm in a hurry to get home, so I'm afraid I can't stick around and chat.”

“Oh.” Yesung looked a little crestfallen, and Ryeowook felt a little bad for it, but he was telling the truth. “Then let me walk you to your car?”

“I'm taking the bus, but...thank you.” He nodded his head in acknowledgment of Yesung's request, and he couldn't help but think that with the brilliant smile that split his face...Yesung was pretty attractive.

\---

“Kyuhyun, dinnertime!”

Kyuhyun didn't glance up from his screen, clicking rapidly as his speakers emitted the sounds of terrible explosions. “Hold on one minute, Ryeowook. I'm almost done with this mission.”

“I'm not waiting more than ten minutes for you, Kyuhyun.” Ryeowook's head appeared in the doorway, his fashionably-styled bangs pulled back from his face with a headband and a dusting of flour across his cheeks.

One final triumphant explosion and Kyuhyun threw his arms into the air in victory, twirling his chair around to confront his roommate. One look at the older man's face caused the first thing that came out of his mouth to change from, “What are we having?” to the much more relevant, “You've been baking. What happened?”

Ryeowook's hand went to his face, locating and brushing away the incriminating flour as red dusted his cheeks instead. It was just his luck that Kyuhyun would notice, and because the younger man knew him so well, he knew that Ryeowook usually only baked when he needed to get his emotions under control. “It's nothing, just...I saw Yesung today.” He walked back into the kitchen, avoiding Kyuhyun's stare.

“Really?” Kyuhyun, he was sure, would have a devious smile on his face if Ryeowook cared to turn around and look. “And what did you do when you saw _Yesung_?”

“Shut up,” Ryeowook begged as they sat down at the dinner table. “I didn't do anything.” He looked down and took a bite of the bulgogi he'd made and then with a quiet voice added, “Except run into him.”

This was perhaps not the best thing to say, as then Kyuhyun made it his personal mission to find out all the details of their encounter, and it was a rather reluctant story-telling on Ryeowook's part. He blushed through the whole thing, and was relieved when he could finally finish with,  
“And then he walked me to the bus stop, and we talked. He's really not that bad, and his smile--” he cut himself off right there before he said anything else incriminating, but Kyuhyun knew better.

“What was that about his smile?” The shit-eating grin on Kyuhyun's face clearly said that he knew what he was doing to Ryeowook, and he intended to enjoy every minute of it.

“He's not that bad to look at, is all,” Ryeowook said with finality, standing to clear the table and refusing to respond to anything else Kyuhyun had to say.

\---

Ryeowook knew he probably shouldn't be surprised when Yesung showed up outside his classroom again the next day, but he was anyway. “Kim Jongwoon-ssi!” he squeaked, jumping a little as he spotted him.

Yesung blushed deeply and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Please don't call me that.”

“How else should I address you?” Ryeowook wondered, putting on his innocent face. After Kyuhyun had teased him last night, there was no way he was calling Yesung by his nickname.

“Just Yesung, please. I want to be friends, and it's hard when you speak to me so formally.” He grinned at Ryeowook, and the lenses of his white plastic glasses glinted in the glow of the florescent lights above them.

Ryeowook sighed, feeling slightly put-upon, especially after resolving not to do just what Yesung was asking, and finally settled with some middle ground. “Alright, Yesung-hyung,” he murmured, shifting his books in his arms.

Yesung's smile could have powered an entire city, it was so bright. It made Ryeowook smile a little himself. “Can I walk you to the bus stop again?” he asked politely. Ryeowook couldn't very well decline him without seeming incredibly rude, and besides...he found he quite enjoyed the sound of Yesung's deep, rich baritone. It reminded him of hot cocoa in the wintertime, or dark chocolate brownies with caramel on top, or...he needed to stop comparing Yesung's voice to food; that couldn't be healthy.

A small, hesitant nod from Ryeowook was all it took for Yesung to bounce into action, offering to carry his books for him and telling him to watch his step. Ryeowook kept his eyes shyly averted and somehow allowed his books to be swept from his arms, unable to do anything as he was caught up in the whirlwind that was Yesung's presence.

Halfway home on the bus he discovered a piece of paper tucked into a textbook.

_“Here's my number. Call me if you ever need anything. :)”_

He didn't realize he was smiling as he shook his head (exasperatedly, he would say if anyone asked, though it was really closer to fondly) and tucked the paper back into his book for safekeeping. Maybe he could indulge Yesung, just a little. After all, he enjoyed Yesung's company, so what harm could it do?

\---

Being walked to the bus stop by Yesung became a daily occurrence, and Ryeowook could not find it in himself to mind very much. Once you got past a few of his odd...quirks, Yesung was funny and charismatic, fun to talk to and be around. More and more Ryeowook found himself looking forward to that part of the day, when he would see Yesung once more. Even as the days got colder, Yesung would walk with him and wait outside until the bus came, encouraging him to talk about his day, his studies, his childhood memories, everything. Yesung rarely talked about himself unless Ryeowook prompted him, which, as the months rode on, he did more and more frequently.

“So why didn't you do music? You have a great voice; I'd love to hear you sing someday.”

Ryeowook chuckled, countering, “What about you, Hyung? Why did you pick music education?”

“Long story.”

“Tell me. I want to know.”

“Well, it started when I was little. I've always loved to sing, and I wanted to be this big, famous singer: a pop star, like the people I watched on Music Core. But my dad was against it, wouldn't hear of his son doing something like that...degrading, he called it, to go up on stage and perform for people who would either hate me or objectify me, think of me as their possession just because I was an idol.

“So one day I realized: someone has to teach all those idols what they're doing. Dad wasn't exactly for it, but as long as I was working a respectable job and not flaunting myself in front of thousands of screaming fans he thought he could live with it, and that's how I ended up where I am today.”

Ryeowook frowned. “Seems to me that your dad should have supported you in doing what made you happy.”

Yesung shrugged. “Maybe. But I'm happy with where I am now. And hey, if I was a pop star we never would have met.” He nudged Ryeowook with his elbow, and Ryeowook couldn't help but blush.

Ryeowook knew what that blush meant, what the fluttery feeling in his chest every time he was near Yesung meant, but he didn't want to admit it to himself just yet. Because if he was falling this hard, this fast, and he admitted it, then he would fall completely and never be able to get out. As long as he didn't acknowledge what he was feeling, then he could pretend at being strong and independent for a while longer.

\---

Christmas time came, and they all went home to see their families. All except Ryeowook, that is. He told Kyuhyun he would be fine—insisted it, in fact. Kyuhyun didn't really believe him, but couldn't do much when his parents were expecting him to return and Ryeowook refused to budge. He tried to convince Ryeowook to come with him, to spend Christmas with him and his family, but Ryeowook was stubborn in the insistence that he didn't want to invade their family holiday.

Kyuhyun could do nothing but leave Ryeowook behind in their empty apartment with only a few photographs, the TV, and his baking for company.

Ryeowook wandered the apartment for days, clutching a picture frame to his chest and sobbing. It was the hardest time of the year for him. He'd lost everything on Christmas Eve two years before, and he still hadn't managed to put all the pieces back together again, though a little bit of him knew that there was someone who would be willing to help him if he would only ask.

When Kyuhyun got home just after New Year's there were cakes and cookies covering every available surface in the house. He didn't ask how much Ryeowook had spent on ingredients, but instead set down his bags, pulled out his car keys and asked, “Ready for a trip to the homeless shelter?”

\---

Ryeowook hurried out of the classroom, shoving things in his bag as he went. He'd just gotten a text message from Kyuhyun, something about the toilet overflowing or possibly the apartment being on fire. The message hadn't exactly been clear.

“Hey,” Yesung called, coming up behind him and poking him in the arm. “What's the hurry?”

“Oh, sorry,” Ryeowook laughed, “I just got a text from Kyuhyun and apparently there's some disaster at the apartment. Honestly, he's nearly twenty years old and he still needs someone to take care of him.” He shook his head fondly, thinking of Kyuhyun, and then smiled at Yesung.  
“I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow?”

In his hurry, he didn't notice that Yesung was a little less enthusiastic than normal, or that his smile was a bit less bright.

\---

After that, inexplicably, Yesung just stopped coming. Ryeowook waited for him, wondering if he'd gotten held back by one of his professors, but two hours and six missed buses later he had to admit that Yesung was probably not going to show up.

When he got home, Kyuhyun took one look at his face and didn't ask where he'd been. Instead, he comforted Ryeowook in the only way he knew how: he teased and cajoled him about some unimportant matter and then forced him to play Xbox with him until he was satisfied that Ryeowook wouldn't be jumping off a building anytime soon. While Ryeowook appreciated the sentiment behind Kyuhyun's actions, it had been hardly what he needed.

Kyuhyun wisely didn't comment when he woke up the next morning and their counters were covered with baked goods.

\---

Ryeowook waited for Yesung after classes everyday for a week, but the older man never showed up, and finally Ryeowook was forced to admit that maybe he wasn't going to. He went home that last night rather despondently, and Kyuhyun finally decided that he needed to say something.

“What happened with Yesung?”

Ryeowook glanced briefly at the younger man, trying not to show the flash of hurt in his eyes. “Nothing happened. We weren't anything to each other to begin with, so there's no reason to be upset.” He pulled on his apron, searching the refrigerator for ingredients for dinner.

Kyuhyun leaned back against the door frame, his arms crossed stubbornly. “You know, I've heard a lot of rumors going around...about the two of you. None of them are true, because I would know if they were, but maybe that's the reason he's avoiding you?”

“Why would he avoid me because of some rumors? There's always gossip about him going around.” He threw the wok onto the stove perhaps a bit less gently than he could have; Kyuhyun winced at the noise.

“About him. But not about you,” Kyuhyun pointed out. “Maybe he's protecting you.”

“Or maybe I was a fun distraction and he's moved on to something else. It doesn't matter, Kyuhyun, so please just drop it.” He tried to drown out whatever Kyuhyun had to say next with the fierce 'thunk, thunk, thunk' of his knife on the cutting board, but his arm was grabbed roughly and pulled away from his work. “Let me go!” he cried petulantly, tugging at Kyuhyun's hold.

“No, I won't. If this keeps up we'll have to open a bakery, and frankly I'd rather you deal with this in a more healthy, mature way.” He softened a little and lowered his hand. “Go talk to him, Ryeowook. You owe yourself that much.”

Ryeowook hung his head and didn't respond.

\---

Somehow, on Monday Ryeowook found himself wandering into the music building after class, wondering if Yesung would even still be there. _'He could have gone home ages ago,'_ he thought to himself, almost hopefully, _'But at least I'll be able to tell Kyuhyun that I tried.'_

The next moment had those thoughts dissolving. That song...he hadn't heard that song for ages. His mother always used to sing that to him. Before he knew it he found himself leaning against the wall just outside a practice room, listening to the deep, rich voice singing a song he knew so well. He didn't realize he was humming along.

He stood there for near an hour, listening to the other man sing. It was clear he was trying to perfect the song, or maybe memorize it. He sang it again and again, until his voice was so hoarse from overuse that he could no longer get the high notes out. Finally, Ryeowook heard him packing up, and told himself to move, to leave now while he had the chance, so that the singer wouldn't see him and know that he had been listening. But Ryeowook found he couldn't budge.

The door opened and Ryeowook half turned toward it and froze. The other man also stilled at the sight of him, and then opened his mouth to speak. All that came out was a croak at first, but finally he managed, “Ryeowook? What are you doing here?”

Ryeowook turned to him fully, a sheepish smile on his face. “You hadn't come by in a while. I...missed seeing you, I guess.”

A joyous smile spread across Yesung's face, but he seemed to rein himself in. “Ryeowook, we can't do this,” he murmured, shaking his head as he closed the door of the practice room behind him and prepared to walk away.

“Why not?” Ryeowook grasped his arm tightly to keep him from leaving. “I like you, Yesung-hyung. I like being around you. I've never felt this way with anyone before, and I just--”

“So you're just going to keep cheating on your boyfriend with me?” Yesung burst out.

“Boyfriend? Yesung, I think you've misunderstood.”

“I don't think there's anything to misunderstand.” He shook off Ryeowook's hand and turned to leave.

“I don't know where you got the idea that I have a boyfriend, but you're wrong.” Ryeowook felt hurt that Yesung would just assume that about him. He hadn't even asked Ryeowook if it was true.

Yesung didn't turn around as he murmured, “Everyone knows that you and Kyuhyun are dating. You're living together, too. I never should have tried to get between you two. I can see that you're happy with him.”

“I would never date Kyuhyun!” Ryeowook yelled. “He's a slob, he gets so sucked into those stupid video games of his that he forgets to sleep, and he's always using math jargon that I would never understand in a million years. He's my best friend, and we grew up together, but we're just not compatible.” He broke off, panting, and watched Yesung's tense shoulders cautiously.

“Why should I believe you? What if you're just saying that so you can keep playing with me?” Yesung turned to face him, the fierceness in his eyes emphasized by his overly-excessive eyeliner.

Ryeowook sighed, shook his head, and murmured, “Maybe you shouldn't. I'm sorry I just showed up like this, I should have realized that you wouldn't want to see me.” He turned, prepared to walk away and leave the whole mishap behind him, but he couldn't help but add, “That song you were singing...it's my favorite. My mother used to sing it to me before I went to sleep. She said it would protect me from monsters and bad dreams until the morning came. She died two years ago.”

He fought for every step that carried him away from Yesung, but he knew that it was what was best for the both of them, and so he forced himself to continue.

\---

_Mother and Father were so happy to have him home for Christmas. They'd missed him terribly, and Mother couldn't help but clutch him close to her often and sing softly in her melodic voice. He indulged her, because he'd missed her too. Nothing could replace Mother, not the coziest blanket in the world, not the best cup of hot chocolate, not the most beautiful music. Even as old as he was, when he was wrapped in Mother's arms he felt safe, and special. It was a feeling that nothing else could ever replicate._

_He had a fever. It was Christmas Eve, and somehow he'd gotten a fever. They had planned to bring a donation to the homeless shelter together that day, but instead Mother had tucked him into bed with a soft blanket, a cup of tea, and his favorite book, and told him that she and Father would go to the homeless shelter by themselves and stop by the pharmacy on their way home to get him some medicine.  
They never made it home._

_He heard the screech of tires, the honking horns, and then the terrible crunching of metal. He ran down the stairs as quickly as he could, nearly tripping in his haste, and stepped outside in only his pajamas and slippers._

_It was his parents' car._

_He ran so fast he thought all his ribs would break from lack of air. The driver's side of the car was completely crushed, Father's face now a twisted, bloody mess. Mother had gotten less of the impact, and she turned her injured head to him and murmured, “I love you, Ryeowookie.”_

_He saw her eyes go blank._

_He collapsed next to the car, unheeding of the broken glass that bit into his knees, and sobbed. He barely noticed Kyuhyun pulling him away, barely saw the paramedics as they checked his parents. He knew what they would say._

_Mother and Father were dead._

_Only half a block from home, they'd hit an ice patch and the car had skidded. Father had tried to stop, or avoid impact with the delivery van coming the other way, but the driver of the van hadn't been paying attention and didn't stop. It was a messy collision, and the other driver was in bad condition too. He was taken to the hospital at once, but they thought he had a good chance to live._

_It wasn't fair, Ryeowook thought. His parents were gone._

\---

He jerked awake, his breathing heavy. Wet streaks on his face showed that he had been crying, and he curled up tight on himself, sobbing silently. He barely noticed Kyuhyun crawling into bed with him, wrapping strong arms around him and singing his mother's lullaby.

Kyuhyun didn't have to ask what had happened; he'd experienced enough of Ryeowook's nightmares to understand that he wouldn't want to talk about it. Instead, he held Ryeowook until his tears and the gentle rocking of Kyuhyun's embrace carried him back into sleep.

\---

Lunch break, and Ryeowook was going to meet Kyuhyun at the school cafeteria. He crunched his way across a layer of new snow, wishing that winter were over, and shoved his free hand a little deeper in his pocket. If there was one thing Ryeowook hated, it was the cold.

He was just a short distance from the cafeteria and his escape back into the warmth when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, expecting Kyuhyun, and was surprised when his gaze met dark eyes framed by bright blue glasses. Staring at that face, he couldn't think of a thing to say.

“Ryeowook, I'm sorry.” His words carried the tone he used when he was about to launch into a rant. “I didn't realize...I shouldn't have accused you like that, should have trusted you more. I just assumed we were dating, and then that you were cheating on Kyuhyun, and well...it's all just become a big mess, hasn't it?” He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

Ryeowook couldn't help the thought that Yesung had never looked so adorable, and a smile crossed his own face. “Maybe,” he replied, “But we can fix it.” He gave Yesung a significant look, and the older man looked befuddled for several moments before he got what Ryeowook was hinting at.

“Hey, Ryeowook, do you want to go out with me sometime?”

“I'd like that.”

\---

Kyuhyun teased him for weeks, at times making Ryeowook want to die from embarrassment. He knew that Kyuhyun would get bored eventually, and that really it was just his way of showing that he was happy for Ryeowook, but until then it was rather infuriating. On the other hand, having Yesung in his life certainly made up for it.

It was Ryeowook's first real relationship, and certainly the first one with a man. He had known that he was gay for years, but knowing it and admitting it to other people were two very different things. Being with Yesung, he could let all his cares and worries slip away, and it was just the two of them. For the first time since his parents died, Ryeowook was truly happy.

\---

Yesung leaned on Ryeowook's shoulders from behind, his lips pressing briefly to Ryeowook's hair. “What are you thinking so hard about?” he asked, plopping himself down on the lunch table's bench next to his boyfriend.

“You remember when we first met?” Ryeowook replied, smiling.

Yesung laughed, wrapping an arm around Ryeowook and planting a kiss on his cheek. “You thought I was a stalker.”

“You were creepy!” Ryeowook protested, kissing Yesung properly.

“You two are being gross again,” another voice put in.

Ryeowook broke the kiss to glare at his best friend. “Thanks for your input, Kyuhyun, it was very helpful,” he quipped sarcastically.

“I aim to please,” Kyuhyun retorted, never looking up from his math textbook.

Yesung took the opportunity to attempt to steal Kyuhyun's dessert. It was promptly moved out of his reach, and he sighed, planting one last kiss on Ryeowook's lips before getting up to get his own, muttering about Kyuhyun being evil and able to see without eyes as he walked away.

“Can you believe you've been dating that guy for a year?” Kyuhyun asked, looking up to smirk at Ryeowook.

“Yes,” Ryeowook scoffed, taking Kyuhyun's words as an insult—because that's how Kyuhyun had intended them.

Kyuhyun's eyes softened, and he closed his book to look properly at Ryeowook. “I am happy for you, though. After your parents...well, I never thought I'd see you smile like this again. He's good for you.”

Ryeowook smiled gently at his best friend, and reached out to take his hand. “Thank you, Kyuhyun, for supporting me and looking out for me all this time. I don't know what I would have done without you.”

“Probably gotten fat from all the baked goods,” Kyuhyun suggested, dispelling the serious atmosphere and making Ryeowook laugh.

“Hey, do I have to steal you back from him again?” Yesung asked, sitting down next to Ryeowook (and only half-tripping in the process) and fake-glaring at their clasped hands.

Kyuhyun held his hands up as if in surrender. “Far be it from me to steal your boyfriend. Heaven knows what I would do with all that food.”

They all laughed again, and life was normal and good. If only they knew then how things would change. Two years later would see the three of them standing in a graveyard, holding shovels and wondering if anything would ever be normal or good again.


End file.
